OXFORDSHIRE tennis star Tim Henman was carrying the hopes of the nation at Wimbledon today.

Henman, from Weston-on-the-Green, went into his first men's singles semi-final against the world No 1 Pete Sampras as a 3-1 underdog.

But he said defiantly: "I'm playing the world No 1, a guy that's won Wimbledon in four of the last five years, so there won't be any pressure on myself, but I must still back that up with my game. That's the most important thing.

"If I play the tennis I've played and the tennis I'm capable of, I've a good chance."

Henman is the first British men's semi-finalist at Wimbledon since Roger Taylor in 1973.

The last time he met Sampras was in the second round at Wimbledon in 1995, with Sampras winning in straight sets.

The American top seed has not lost a set on his way to the last four and his latest victim believes the British No 2's exhilarating run will come to an abrupt end.

Australian Mark Philippoussis lost 7-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the quarter-finals and witnessed the awesome power of Sampras' game at uncomfortably close hand.

"I can't see anyone beating Pete," said Philippoussis. "I think he's too solid. He's dedicated and wants to prove a point.

"He served really well against me. He went for some big second serves and if they went in, they were like an ace.

"On big points he'll go for it, and most often he has the confidence that it will work out for him on the second serve or the return, and he always seems to hit a winning passing shot on big points when he needs one. That's what it's all about."

Today's other semi-final promises to be a battle of big-servers with 1996 champion Richard Krajicek taking on revitalised Goran Ivanisevic.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.